Latch type cartridge link



May1,1962 H..LARK 3,031,934

LATCH TYPE CARTRIDGE LINK Filed July 20, 1960 ze 24 5o l 5% so l2 EI- L y s y 111111,00' l a "Ill/1111111111 'A I l//J 15:.

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3,031,934 Y LATCH TYPE CARTRIDGE LINK Harlan C. Clark, Oxford, Conn., assigner, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Fledrlluly 20,1969, Ser. No. 44,237

4 Claims. (Cl. 89-35) This invention relates vto cartridge links and more particularly to links which retain cartridges for side-stripping therefrom. l

It is advantageous for machine guns which are supplied with cartridges from a linked belt to have the cartridges side stripped from the belt so as to increase the cyclic rate of the gun. To provide for this side-stripping, the cartridges heretofore have been retained in the links by This spring retention, however, is not entirely satisfactory because the tension thereof must he considerable in order to secure the cartridges against displacement in the links during the erratic movement of the belt to the gun and the degree of this tension causes diiculty in feeding and possible damage to the cartridge cases when stripped from the retaining links.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a link with a clamp for rigidly retaining a cartridge in the links until the clamp is unlocked.

It is another object of this invention to provide a link.

with a clam-shell type of clamp for rigidly retaining a cartridge in the link until the clamp is unlocked.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in a link having a holder for receiving a cartridge a clamp adapted so as to be selectiyely mounted to either side of the holder and lock means rigidly securing the clamp in position to prevent displacement of the cartridge in the link until unlocked from the holder.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is` a top view of the link with a cartridge shown in phantom and the clamshell clamp in the closed posi-` FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the link with the clamp removed from the cartridge holder; and p FIG. 7 is a detailed view showing the locking tbs of the clamp cammed out of engagement with the cooperating recess in the bridge of the cartridge holder.

Shown in the figures is a clamshell-type link 12 adapted to releasably retain a cartridge 14 for side-stripping therefrom. Link 12 includes a holder 16 with a clamp 18 hingedly mounted as a clamshell thereto. Holder 16 is preferably fabricated from a single piece of spring steel and includes a body 20 having laterally flaring skirts 22 which are spaced so as to receive therebetween a case 24 of cartridge 14. The skirts 22 extend to approximately the central lateral plane of case 24 when seatedin link 12. Holder 16 also includes a retainer 26 which extends rearwardly from body 20 and which is arcuately formed to a diameter somewhat less than that' of the base of car. tridge 14 so as to have resilient engagement therewith when the cartridge is pressed thereinto. A pair of detents 28 are formed in the rear end of retainer 26 so as to be receivable by an extractor groove 30 in case 24 and are spaced so as to engage the extractor groove above the central lateral plane thereof for restraining `longitudinal displacement of cartridge 14.

Patented May l, 1962 A channel 31 of inverted U-cross-section extends laterally across body 20 approximately midway the length thereof and such channel is extended at opposite ends to form a pair of laterally disposed hooks 32 which are arcuately formed and arranged to project beyond skirts 22 so as to be respectively receivable by a connector 34. Hooks 32 extend sufficiently from skirts 22 so that conneetors 34 are held from contact with cartridge 14 in holder 16 andthe connectors are formed to hold pairsof links 12 for rotation around the engaged hooks but permitting only a minimum lateral displacement therebetween. An opening 36 extends from the upper edges of each of the skirts 22 adjacent the hooks 32 and symmetrical thereto. Extending into skirts 22 from the front and rear sides of both of the openings 36 and adrjacent the upper edges of the skirts are rectangular notches 3S which interengage with similar notches 4l) in the sides of clamp 1S for hingedly mounting the clamp thereat for pivotal displacement between an open and a closed position. With the notches 38 being similarly arranged in the skirts 22 on both sides of body 20, clamp 1S.

is interchangeable from one side of the link to the other so that the link is easily adapted for either left or a right hand feed.

Extending laterally-across body 2t) symmetrical to the central vertical axis thereof is a pair of longitudinally spaced laterally elongated slots 42 which traverse the body approximately in alignment with the front and rear sides of the openings 36. A planar bridge 44 extends integrally between the ends of each of the slots 42 so as to be perpendicular to the central vertical plane of body 2t). A rectangular recess 46 is centrally .provided in the front side of the front one of the bridges 44 and inthe rear side of the rear bridge for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

Clamp 18, as has been mentioned hereinbefore, is mountable for pivotal displacement Vin either one of the openings 36 and is received partially within body 20 with the remaining portion extending thereover from the location of the Vnotches 40 to block side displacement of cartridge 14 from link 12. Clamp 18 is symmetrically bifurcated from the end thereof which is 'received within body 20 by a slot 48 which provides a clearance for the hooks 32 when the clamp is in the closed position and which forms a pair of arms 50 which are joined by a longitudinal section 51. The portions of thev arms 5t) disposed between the free ends thereof and the notches 40, which will hereinafter be referred to as levers 52, are arcuately contoured to encircle cartridge 14 when fully engaged in link 12 and the ends of the arms are arranged to terminate immediately above the recesses 46 inthe bridges 44. The arms Sil are bent at 54 in the location of the notches 40 to permit a hinged interengagement thereat with the notches 3S in either one of the skirts 22. The portion of clamp 13, which extends above bend S2 and which will hereinafter be referred to as jaw S6, is contoured to engageably encircle the portion of cartridge case 24 which extends above the skirts 22, when the clamp is in the closed position, so as to prevent side displacement of cartridge 14 in link 12 -Clamp 18,is releasably locked in the closed position by a tab 58 which extends from the free end of each of the arms 5t) for side entry into the recess 46 in the related one of the bridges 44 which tabs include a pair of laterally extending ears 60`disposed at the ends thereof for engagement with the bottom sides of the bridges on both sides of the recesses 46 therein. Clamp 18 is released to permit side-stripping of the inclosed cartridge 14 by a pair of cams 62 which are laterally disposed on a gun feeding mechanism (not shown) so as to be respectively receivable by the slots 42 during passage of the links 12 into the feeding mechanism. Each of the cams 62 is provided with a cam surface 64 disposed for sliding engagement with the inside of each f the tabs 58 below the associated bridge 44 so that the tabs are forced sideways out of the associated recesses 46 dur-ing movement of the links 12 relative to the cams. When the tabs 58 are free of the recesses e6, clamp 18 is free to be pivoted to the open position by cartridge 14 when stripped from link 12 by conventional stripping means as shown in phantom in FIG. 5.

From the foregoing it is clearly apparent that there is provided herein a side-stripping type cartridge link which successfully solves the problem of securely retaining a cartridge therein while traveling in a belt to a 'gun so that a minimum of spring tension is applied to the cartridge. This is accomplished by utilizing in combination a rigid clamp 18 which is disposed for engagement with the body of the cartridge case 24 to positively secure the cartridge against side displacement until the clamp is unlocked and a spring retainer 26 which is disposed for engagement with extractor groove 3i) in case Z4 for restraining longitudinal displacement of the cartridge. Thus, retainer 26 has engagement with case 24 Where it is the strongest and need only have suilicient tension to prevent the longitudinal displace nient of cartridge and in this function the retainer can be assisted in part by the contour of holder 16 and clamp 18. The detents 28 are spaced so as to resiliently retain cartridge 14 in holder 16, after clamp 18 is unlocked, until the cartridge is taken under control by the gun feeding mechanism (not shown).

It is also apparent that link i2 is rugged in construction, positive in its functions and is easy to manufacture.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. A side-stripping type of link for a cartridge provided with a case having an extractor groove, the link comprising a cartridge holder provided with a retainer having a pair of detents disposed for engagement with the extractor groove to restrain longitudinal displacement of the cartridge in the link, a longitudinal body, a pair of arcuate skirts extending oppositely from said body for receiving vthe case, each of said skirts being provided with a rectangular opening extending inwardly from the outer edge thereof, a pair of notches extending oppositely into each of said skirts from the front and rear sides of said openings and adjacent the outer edges of said skirts and a channel of inverted U-cross-section extending laterally across said body between said openings, a pair of hooks formed by arcuate extension of said channel from opposite ends thereof, said hooks being formed to extend outwardly beyond the relative one of said skirts, a connector for joining opposite ones of said hooks on a pair of the links to permit relative rotation thereof about the joined ones of said hooks with substantially no relative translational movement therebetween, a clamp received by one of said openings, means for hingedly joining said clamp to the associated one of said skirts at said notches for pivotal displacement between a closed cartridge retaining position and an open cartridge release position, said clamp being provided with a slot to provide clearance for the adjacent one of said hooks, a pair of arms formed by said slot, a lever extend ing integrally from the ends of each of said arms, a pair of recesses formed in said body coincident with the central vertical plane thereof and coincident with an extension of the planes in which said levers are displaced when said clamp is pivoted between the open and closed positions thereof, and an eared tab extending from each of said levers for side entry into the adjacent one of said recesses when said clamp is in the closed position for releasably latching said clamp therein.

2. The link as dened in claim 1 wherein said arms are arranged to contact the associated one of said skirts outside thereof above said notches, said levers are arranged to encircle the cartridge in the link within said skirt, and wherein said means for hingedly mounting said clamp to said skirt at said notches therein include a mating pair of notches located respectively at the junctions of said arms and said levers.

3. The link as defined in claim 1 wherein said recesses are formed in lateral bridges respectively extending between the ends of a pair or" transversal slots formed in said body, and wherein said eared tabs are each provided with a terminal ear portion and are arranged to depend respectively from the ends of said levers so that said ear portions are contactable with the undersides of said bridges to releasably latch said clamp in the closed position.

4. The link as defined in claim 3 wherein said transversal slots in said body are arranged to slidingly receive cam means in a gun for actuation against said ear portions for `displacing said eared tabs from said recesses to free said clamp for' displacement to the open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,804,807 Dixon sept. 3. 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 717,931 Germany Feb. 26, 1942 

